


Proving It

by Nary



Category: Diablotin
Genre: Awkward Sexual Situations, Awkwardness, Blue Balls, Caught, Coitus Interruptus, Coming of Age, Dirty Talk, Embarrassment, F/M, Father-Son Relationship, Fingerfucking, First Time, Flirting, Hand Jobs, Loss of Virginity, Missionary Position, Parenthood, Porn With Plot, Premature Ejaculation, Relationship Advice, Sex Education, Sexual Tension, Siblings, Teen Angst, Teen Romance, Teenagers, Thwarted Attempts at Sex, Vaginal Sex, Woman on Top
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-22
Updated: 2012-03-22
Packaged: 2017-11-02 08:40:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/367083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nary/pseuds/Nary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Halden buried his head under his pillow, so his words came out muffled.  "She wants to do it."</p><p>"What? Do what?  I can't hear you."</p><p>"Have sex," Halden muttered.  He was glad it was dark so Coren couldn't see him blushing.  "She wants to fuck, not get married."</p><p>Coren laughed, which was what he expected.  "Oh, tough life.  A pretty girl wants to fuck you, you want to fuck her.  I wish I had your problems."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Proving It

Halden fretted through his days, and lay awake, restless, at night. Since he shared his room with his brother ( _half-brother_ , whispered the little voice at the back of his head), Coren was bound to notice something was wrong.

"Stop flopping around and sighing and go to sleep," Coren told him, after several particularly sleepless hours. "You're keeping me awake every time you turn over."

"Sorry," Halden muttered. Coren was younger than him by about a year and a half, thirteen, and no particular worries ever seemed to trouble him. He was careless and cheerful where his brother was thoughtful and moody. "Just... thinking."

"Well stop it," Coren said unhelpfully. "Whatever you're thinking about can't be that big a problem."

"It's Ysana," Halden blurted.

"Why, what's wrong with her?" Coren rolled over to face him, listening. 

Halden sighed, again, making his brother pull a face. "Nothing's wrong with her. She's perfect."

"Oh, void," Coren swore. "Look, it's obvious to anyone who sees the two of you together that she likes you. And she's too stubborn to let her parents talk her into marrying someone else if you're the one she wants. So stop worrying about her."

Halden buried his head under his pillow, so his words came out muffled. "She wants to do it."

"What? Do what? I can't hear you."

"Have sex," Halden muttered. He was glad it was dark so Coren couldn't see him blushing. "She wants to fuck, not get married."

Coren laughed, which was what he expected. "Oh, tough life. A pretty girl wants to fuck you, you want to fuck her. I wish I had your problems."

"You're too young to have that sort of problem," Halden told him sternly. "So's she, for that matter. So am I. If we got caught together, or if she got knocked up, or she tells someone and word gets back to her family, what happens then? Her parents already hate me - they'd probably pack her off to the countryside and I'd never see her again and everything would be ruined."

"Who says you'll get caught?" Coren asked sensibly. "And her parents don't hate you, don't be stupid. They wouldn't keep inviting you over and letting you see her if they disapproved that badly." 

Halden shook his head. "I'm a bastard," he muttered. "No title. No lands. She can do a lot better than me. And she knows that, her mother's told her often enough. So... maybe sex is all she really wants from me - some fun, but it won't go anywhere."

"So what? At least you'd get laid. Would that be the worst thing in the world?" Coren asked.

"Yes," grumbled Halden. "Go to sleep now."

"I think you're just intimidated," Coren retorted, flopping over grumpily and pulling all the blankets with him.

***  
The following day, Halden's family was invited to join the vak Andras family for a picnic lunch and afternoon of hunting at their lodge, which lay not too far from the city. He kept quiet on the ride there, which was fine - his younger brothers and sisters made enough noise that their mother had to tell them to calm down several times or else they were turning the carriage around to go home. Of course, then she filled the silence with chatter to her husband, who mostly nodded and agreed with whatever she was saying. 

Halden liked his stepmother well enough - she had always been kind to him, treating him just like the others - but he wondered what his own mother had been like, whether she was quiet and shy like him. She had died having him, and his father rarely spoke of her. Halden had gained the idea from years of overheard gossip that he ought to be very grateful his father had taken him in at all, given that his mother was low-born and they hadn't even known each other very long - perhaps the wench might even have foisted her bastard off onto a nobleman, knowing the child was actually someone else's... That part Halden felt confident in discounting - he looked an awful lot like his father, everyone said so. But the rest... He hated the idea that he should feel grateful to his father just for raising him, but he knew it was true. All the others took it for granted that they belonged in this world, but Halden was never certain.

The vak Andrases and the Talaveras were already there when they arrived. Their parents greeted each other with hugs and kisses and the children, ten of them between the three families, ran about excitedly. "Picnic at the waterfall at noon," Ysana's mother informed them all. "Ysana, I'll need your help carrying things there, so don't go too far."

Ysana rolled her eyes, but only so Halden could see. "Yes, Mother." The younger children might be allowed to run wild, playing tag and hide and seek in the woods, but evidently Ysana and Halden were too old now to be allowed that freedom. Their parents would be keeping a watchful eye on them from the yard where they were settling down to enjoy a drink before lunch. Ysana beckoned for Halden to follow her into the small garden behind the lodge, a simple design compared to the ornate gardens at home in the city, but still very pretty, even in the autumn.

"They're not going to let us alone," she muttered sullenly, kicking at the fallen leaves as they walked. 

"No, well," Halden said, wishing he could take her hand but knowing that their parents were watching, "you didn't expect they would, did you?"

"I thought maybe... a walk in the woods wouldn't be so bad, would it? It's not as though anything would happen," she said, and shot him a sidelong, questioning look.

Halden shrugged, not sure what to say.

"It's not as if you would throw me to the ground and push up my dress and take me right there on a pile of leaves," she said more quietly, measuring the effect her words had on him. 

Halden could feel himself blushing, and wished he could stop. "Probably even if I did, Elena and Alestin would run up and decide they just had to jump in that particular pile. We're not going to have any privacy here, Ysana."

She pouted prettily. "It's not fair. We're nearly fifteen, what does a few months matter?" 

"They're not going to let us be alone together once we're fifteen either. Just because the law says we're adults doesn't mean our parents will treat us that way."

Ysana sat down on a bench that circled a large oak tree at the edge of the lawn, near where it stopped being tamed and became forest instead. Halden sat beside her, close but not too close, painfully aware of the few inches between them. "I think about you all the time," she murmured, looking at him from under lowered eyelashes.

"I think about you too," he told her fervently.

"All the time?" she asked, smiling in that teasing way she had.

"Mmhmm."

"Even when you're, oh, touching yourself?"

"Especially then," he admitted.

She leaned close enough to whisper in his ear. "I do too." 

Halden could feel his ears turning red as he imagined Ysana doing... whatever it was girls did to bring themselves off. "Tease," he told her, not for the first time. 

"You like it," she taunted him playfully. 

"I like you. Just being with you. You don't have to flirt to make me want you."

"But it's fun," she replied. "I like making you blush. I like knowing I make you hard."

Halden looked shocked. "You can tell?"

"Of course I can," she giggled. "You can shift around and try to get comfortable, but you can't hide it."

This was horrifying news. Could everyone tell, he wondered, or just Ysana because she was looking for the signs? Probably everyone could, he decided miserably. He'd just have to sit here until it went away - not like that was going to happen anytime soon, not with Ysana right beside him. He was only saved when her mother called her to come help carry the supplies for the picnic, allowing him a few minutes to think about harmless subjects and get himself under control before he had to rejoin the rest of the party. 

***

The Elziors arrived at the lodge belatedly that afternoon, teleporting in. "Sorry we couldn't come earlier," Ivona said brightly. "I wasn't feeling well, but I'm quite improved now." She still looked pale, and leaned heavily on her husband's arm, but that was always the case - Ivona had been sickly since childhood. 

As the new arrivals distracted the grown-ups, Halden noticed Ysana beckoning him from behind a door. It turned out to be a little cloakroom, empty except for a few old pairs of boots and oilskins with the current warm autumn weather. She shut the door as soon as he entered. It was dark, the only light coming from the narrow crack beneath the door, and they were squeezed close together in the narrow space. 

"Ysana," he began, but she stopped his mouth, grabbing hold of his lapels to pull him down for a kiss. He pressed her back against the wall, oblivious for the moment to the dangers of being caught. The erection he had managed to dispel earlier was back with a vengeance, but he found he didn't care if she knew about it this time.

"I want you," she whispered. "Want you to fuck me..."

"Here? Now?"

"We might not get another chance," she countered, pushing her hand down the front of his breeches. "Oh, I can feel it, it's so big!" 

Halden moaned under his breath, but shook his head. "I want to," he told her, "but I want it to be special... so we can do everything right. You deserve it to be perfect."

"I don't care," she hissed. "I want you now, not someday when things are perfect!" He heard the fabric of her dress rustling and realized she was lifting her skirt. 

"Ysana, no," he said more firmly. "Not here. Everyone's just in the next room, they'll hear..."

"I'll be quiet," she promised, pulling his hand to her breasts. They were firm but soft, and he could feel the hard prod of her nipples through the fine fabric.

"But I don't know if I can!" He had to force himself to lower his voice, worrying about being overheard. "You make me want to scream," he whispered in her ear. "And if we go on, I might not be able to stop myself."

She laughed, kissing his throat. "I'd like to hear that."

"Then you have to be patient," he told her, pulling back. "I want to be able to see you naked... I want to not have to rush..." 

Ysana let her skirts drop and he thought he heard her sniffle. "Well I want to... to just get it over with! I'm tired of waiting, and the more we wait the more it gets turned into this big important thing..."

"It is a big important thing!" Halden muttered. "Should be, anyway." 

Another sniffle. "You said last time that we could do anything we wanted. I thought you wanted this."

"As long as we don't get caught, I said! Remember how your parents are on the other side of that wall? Don't be so stupid, Ysana!" He wished he hadn't said it as soon as the words left his mouth.

"Get out," she told him, her voice trembling.

"I'm sorry," he said hastily. "I love you."

"If you really did, you'd prove it," she said stubbornly. "Go away."

"I'll figure something out," he promised, but she said nothing. Straightening his clothes as best as he could, Halden made a hasty escape. Fortunately, no one noticed him sneaking furtively out of the cloakroom. 

***

A few weeks later, Halden's father was supervising his children's training, as he did most days. "Come on, Fran, keep your feet apart, you'll balance better and Coren won't knock you over that easy next time." Halden was big and strong enough now that he trained mostly with his father, sometimes with his uncle or his cousin Cyra if they were visiting, but not so much with the younger kids anymore unless he was demonstrating something for them or giving them a convenient target to practice on.

Boden beckoned his eldest son over to talk while the younger kids sparred. "Hatice is never gonna be big like the rest of you guys," he said appraisingly.

"She's quick, though," Halden said, looking at his skinny little eight-year-old sister with her bright copper hair, jumping nimbly from post to post through the obstacle course. "Better than any of us at staying quiet, too."

"Yeah, she's good at all that sneaky stuff," Boden said with a grin. "I might not be the best one to teach her, not like with you and Coren and Franeka, where I know all the right stuff to do when you're the biggest one in a fight. Might have to figure something else out for Hatty." He glanced down at Halden (not that far down anymore, though.) "Your birthday's coming up, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Fifteen. That's the big one. What were you thinking of doing?"

"I don't know," Halden said, tracing a line in the dust with the toe of his boot. 

"Big party, lots of girls and booze?" Boden teased.

"No, I don't really want that," Halden muttered, embarrassed. His father always seemed to think he should be after every girl he saw, and Halden just wasn't that interested in other girls.

"No, I guess not," said Boden, putting a big hand on his son's shoulder. "You and Ysana, you like each other a lot, huh? Maybe you'd like to have a party together for the two of you, since her birthday's just a couple weeks after yours. I could talk to her dad, see what we could set up maybe..."

Halden grimaced. "I'm not sure she likes me so much anymore. She might not want that."

"Why, what happened?" 

Halden shrugged. "I don't really wanna talk about it, Dad."

Boden looked concerned. "You know you can tell me anything, Halden."

"Yeah, I know. It's just... about that sort of stuff, you're kind of... embarrassing, Dad."

"What sort of stuff?"

"You know. Sex stuff," Halden said in an undertone. 

Boden grinned, apparently not offended in the slightest at this news. "You had sex with her? That's my boy, good for you!" he boomed cheerfully. 

"Shh, Dad! That's what I mean about you being embarrassing! We didn't do it, and now she's mad at me, and I said don't want to talk about it!" 

"You didn't?! But, I mean... you wanted to, right? She's a good-looking girl..."

"Dad! Stop right there, please!" Halden begged.

Boden grew more serious. "All right. I get it, you don't want to talk to me about it. Is it something you could talk to, uh, Mom about, maybe?"

That thought was even worse. "Absolutely not," Halden said firmly.

"Or maybe your Uncle Franek?" Boden suggested.

Halden was about to dismiss that too, but he hesitated. Uncle Franek was a good guy, more serious than his brother, and Halden was pretty sure he wouldn't laugh at him or slap him on the shoulder. Plus, he didn't have to look at Franek across the breakfast table every day and imagine him doing stuff like that with his mother, or whoever else. "I guess," he said grudgingly. 

Boden nodded. "Him and the family are coming for dinner tonight, maybe you can talk to him then."

"Maybe," Halden muttered. "Hey Dad, uh, look at Ravan..." He pointed to where his youngest brother, not even five yet, was trying to pick up a heavy longsword from the rack.

"Oh, hey," Boden said, and covered the distance in a few long strides to grab up his son. "Not for you yet," he told him, ignoring the child's complaints at being denied the weapon. "Here, you can have this one." He picked up a wooden shortsword and handed it to the little boy, then put him down before he could get bonked on the head. Ravan ran off cheerfully to hit things, and Halden was able to make his escape. 

That evening, Uncle Franek and Aunt Demerise and their kids came to dinner, as promised. Halden was surprised when, after the dishes were cleared and the men were retiring for a smoke and a drink, his father invited him to join them. He'd never been allowed before, and it was kind of exciting, he had to admit, even if he was nervous.

"Well it's almost his birthday," Dad said to Uncle Franek. "Might as well let him come along, eh?"

Franek shrugged. "It's your call," he told his brother. 

"Yeah, it's fine," Boden decided, and the three of them retreated to the study (it would have been a lie to call it Boden's study, since he never did any studying there) where Halden was offered port and a cigar. He said yes to the drink, but no to the cigar - he knew from having stolen one before that it would just make him cough, and possibly throw up. 

"Oh I just remembered something," Boden said once the drinks were poured. "Something that I have to take care of. Right now."

"Anything I can help with?" Franek asked from his seat by the fire.

"No, no, you just stay here," Boden told him, and gave Halden what he probably thought was a subtle wink before heading out the door. 

Franek's brow furrowed. "What's that about?"

Halden shrank into his chair. "Who knows. Hey, uh, Uncle Franek, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," said Franek. "It's about that girl of yours, isn't it."

Halden sighed. "Did Dad tell you?"

"Not in detail, he just said you'd been having a hard time with her lately and that you didn't want to talk to him about it."

"Yeah, I guess. I mean, you know what he's like..."

Franek nodded wearily. "He means well, Halden, he just... always has to say every single thing that crosses his mind." 

"Yeah, exactly. And he expects me to be just like him, and I'm not."

"No. More like your mother, I'd say."

Halden was intrigued enough to be distracted from his other worries. "You knew her?" 

"Well, your Aunt Demerise knew her better than me - they performed together for a while. Your dad met her because he came to see them play with me, when I was courting Demerise. Lygia was a sweet girl, she always said, kind of shy, never really learned to relax on stage... You should ask her sometime, she'd have some good stories to tell from back then."

"I'd like that," Halden said sincerely. 

Franek nodded. "So, what's the problem with Mlle. vak Andras, then?"

Halden shrank back into his seat. "She, uh," he tried and failed to begin. He took a drink in an effort to steady his nerves. It was smooth and only burned a little. "She wants to have sex," he managed to get out. 

Franek arched an eyebrow but didn't say anything, waiting for Halden to explain further.

"I mean, I want to too, but I want it to be special, not like... on the ground in the woods or hiding in a closet, having to keep quiet and hurry and being scared of getting caught... I want it to be perfect."

Sipping his drink, Franek listened, and Halden found himself rambling on to fill the silence. "She's not like anyone else - all I see when I look at other girls is how they're not her. I love her, I think I always have, even when we were kids. I know Dad thinks I should be screwing around and having fun and that I shouldn't be so serious about one girl already, but I can't help it. But what if her parents say no, that she should marry someone higher up than me, someone who can give her a better title and all that stuff? Or if we get caught and they send her away? Or what if she doesn't even want to marry me, she just wants to..."

Franek held up a hand. "I'm going to stop you there. You're getting way ahead of yourself, Halden. You shouldn't be worrying about getting married yet, you're not even fifteen. I'm not going to tell you that you should go out and fuck some other girls to get some experience, but you should at least... experience the rest of the world a little bit before getting settled down. People can change a lot from when they're fifteen to twenty, and you might not feel the same about her in a few years." Seeing his nephew's face fall, he continued, "But that's no reason not to fuck her now, if she wants it too. You'll just have to take precautions."

"Like what?"

"Well, like don't get caught, and don't knock her up," Franek said bluntly. "The first one's probably harder than the second one, to be honest - don't come inside her pussy and make sure she can get a potion afterwards if you're at all uncertain, and you won't have to worry about any surprises there. But as for finding someplace private... if she wasn't a noble's daughter, it would be a lot easier to get some time alone with her, take her to a nice inn, spend the whole night, make it as special as you want. That one might take some thought."

Halden nodded. "How... how do I make it good for her?" he asked, blushing furiously.

Franek gave a slight smile. "Worrying about whether it's good for her is a decent start, probably already a step ahead of most guys your age. It's nice that you want your first time to be perfect, but I have to tell you, it's not. It's probably going to be awkward, no matter how nice a place you're in or how much time you have. Uh... it would be her first time too, wouldn't it?"

"Of course!" Halden bristled. 

"Right, okay, just asking. Most likely it'll hurt her, then. Even if you weren't hung like a horse, which based on your family I'm going to assume you are - you don't have to tell me, though, I really don't need to know - she won't be used to it. No way around that, except trying to make sure she's as ready and relaxed as she can be, and then going slow, and stopping if she tells you to - if you can, I mean. Hopefully the second time it'll go better." Franek paused, as if thinking. "If you have the time, you might want to try other stuff first to, uh, get you both warmed up."

"Other...stuff?" Halden could feel his ears turning red.

"Well." It was cold comfort that Franek looked almost as embarrassed as he was. "I mean you can use your hands on each other, or your mouths, that sort of thing. Don't just try to... shove it in, that won't go well."

"Right," Halden said, looking deeply into his somehow suddenly empty glass. "I won't."

"And, uh, it's okay if you, you know, finish up early. You're young, just wait five minutes and you'll be fine. You might even want to do it yourself once or twice beforehand if you can, so it lasts a bit longer when you get down to the real thing."

Halden didn't think it was possible for him to blush any more, but somehow he was. 

"Oh, I did think of one possibility, as far as private places go," Franek said, changing the subject with some relief. "You know the carriage house on the vak Andras estate?"

"Yes..." Franek used to serve as a huntsman for the vak Andrases, so he knew their property inside and out.

"In the loft upstairs, there used to be some beds for the footmen, but they all got moved into the main servants' quarters when they built the new wing, so nobody sleeps there now. If she could get there, maybe..."

Halden nodded excitedly. "I know she can get out of the house without people noticing, at least for a little while."

"Oh you do?" 

"Well... yes," Halden said, blushing again. "I'll suggest it to her. Thanks, Uncle Franek."

"Anytime," said Franek, and went to pour himself another drink. 

***

Boden and Kalman made the necessary arrangements for the joint birthday party for their eldest children. And to Halden's surprise, Ysana wrote to him to let him know how things stood.

_Dear Halden,_

_I'm still a little cross with you, but not enough to let it ruin our party. Mother wants each of us to have our own escort, because she says that would be more 'proper' but I only want you on my arm, and she's not going to convince me otherwise, so there. I hope you've thought more about what we talked about last time. Write back if you have any ideas._

_Yours truly,  
Ysana_

He took some time considering what to write back to her - he knew her parents would probably read it, so he wanted to be subtle, but that made it complicated to say what he was thinking.

_Dear Ysana,_

_I'm sorry I made you upset, I didn't mean to. I would be honoured to escort you at the party, if it's all right with your parents. I've been practicing my dancing as well, because I want everything to be perfect for you, and I think I can make sure it will be. My Uncle Franek has been very helpful, and he suggested we might go for a carriage ride sometime. I'll tell you more when I see you again._

_Sincerely yours,  
Halden_

The party was to take place the evening of Ysana's birthday, which was on the fifteenth of First-month. Halden's family held a little dinner for him on his own birthday, during the holiday season, but he was content to wait for the celebrations that would follow. He was relieved to hear that Ysana's mother had finally given in and agreed that Halden could escort her daughter at their mutual party. He stood patiently through several fittings for his new suit, a striking dark blue satin trimmed with gold that set off his fair hair and blue eyes splendidly, according to the tailor and his stepmother. And all the while, he was plotting how they would make their escape to the carriage house after the celebrations concluded.

On the eve of the party, he was understandably nervous as he and his parents arrived at the vak Andras estate, drawing up before anyone else. "You look very handsome," Tigranne reassured him, smiling warmly. 

"Yeah, don't worry, " his father told him. "Everything is going to go just fine."

"I hope so," Halden said fervently. He hesitated, then plunged onwards. "Dad, I was thinking maybe I could... make my own way home tonight, not ride with you."

Boden looked surprised, but smiled. "Sure! You're fifteen, after all, you can stay out as late as you like tonight. Do you need some money to pay for a cab?"

"I'll probably just walk," Halden said quickly.

"Yeah, a big guy like you, walking in the Grand, even late at night, I'm sure nothing bad would happen," Boden agreed cheerfully. "We won't wait for you, then." 

Halden smiled, relieved that at least that part of his plan had been no problem. They walked up the stairs to the front door, where Halden was quickly whisked away to be briefed on making their grand entrance together. He heard very little of the instructions, however, because he was busy staring at Ysana in her ballgown. It was a creamy white, layered with golden lace, cut low across her breasts. Her hair was gathered in an intricate knot, garnished with a single curling plume. "You look beautiful," he managed to tell her in between her mother's directions for how they were to come down the staircase, how they were to take their places for the first dance, how they were to comport themselves throughout the evening (impeccably, of course). 

Ysana smiled. "You look very well yourself. The blue suits you."

Eglorine cleared her throat, and her daughter returned her attention to what she was saying. When the seemingly interminable instructions were complete, they were at last left alone for a few minutes while Ysana's mother went downstairs to welcome guests as they arrived. 

"What did you mean, carriage ride?" Ysana immediately asked, turning to him.

Halden quickly explained about the empty loft above the carriage house. "After the party is over, do you think you could sneak out of the house and meet me there?"

Ysana nodded eagerly. "Sneaking out is no problem - they won't notice as long as I'm back in my bed by morning," she said confidently. She clasped his hands, bouncing on her tiptoes with excitement. "Tonight, for real! I can hardly wait!"

"Me neither," Halden murmured. "If I get impatient, maybe I'll just drag you out onto the veranda and do it there."

She giggled, and at that moment they were interrupted by a footman summoning them to the head of the stairs to make their grand entrance. Ysana took his arm, smiling up at him, and Halden drew his shoulders back and tried to look serious and grown-up as they made their way out to the party.

Ysana's siblings were gathered at the edge of the landing, peeking through the banisters to watch them even though they were probably supposed to be in bed. Elena, the littlest, waved to her sister and shouted in a voice that carried extremely well in the echoing hall, "I wanna pwetty dwess too!" before being shushed by twelve-year-old Esmena. Ysana had to stifle a laugh, but Halden was struck dumb by just how many people were watching them. It seemed like their parents had invited half the city, by the number of faces staring up at them. 

"Master Halden of Gouge and Mlle. Ysana vak Andras," the herald announced, and everyone applauded. Halden mostly just prayed he wouldn't trip on Ysana's gown, or his own feet. Somehow they made their way down the staircase unscathed, and a path cleared before them so that they could proceed into the ballroom, where the musicians were waiting.

The first dance passed in a blur. When the music started, everything else seemed to fade away except for Ysana in his arms. He was amazed he managed to get through it without stepping on her toes or kissing her or both. After that, there were so many other people he was expected to dance with, and make polite conversation with, that for the most part the evening went by swiftly - he was almost able to forget about what they had planned for later. Almost, but not quite. He had a single glass of champagne, but couldn't manage to stomach too many of the little hors d'oeuvres that were served. 

He did manage to snatch a moment alone with Ysana on the veranda, which gave him cause to worry - it was cold enough that they could see their breath in the night air, and he wondered for the first time if there would be any way to heat the loft above the carriage house. "Maybe you'd better bring a blanket," he whispered to her, making her giggle.

"We'll find ways to stay warm," she assured him before being swept back inside by a swarm of guests.

Sometime after midnight, the crowds began, gradually, to disperse. Halden bade polite farewells to all those he knew, and many he didn't, before he prepared to make his own exit. He thanked Ysana's parents as politely as he could for hosting the party, and told them how very much he had enjoyed everything. The duke and duchess seemed pleased, and assured him it had been their pleasure. "Good night, Mlle. vak Andras," he told Ysana, bowing to kiss her hand.

"Thank you for the lovely evening," she said, fluttering her fan. "I hope we will meet again soon."

"I'm sure we will," he told her, and departed - but only halfway down the drive, to where he could cut across the expanse of lawn and make his way discreetly to the carriage house. The door was only barred, not locked, so he was able to open it by heaving the heavy bar aside, pulling the door to but leaving it open enough for Ysana to slip inside. The shadowy shapes of the family's assorted carriages filled the space within, and he made his way carefully through them to the stairs that led up to the loft above.

The former living quarters were barren, but a few things remained - most importantly several bed frames and straw mattresses, now rather musty but (he checked) not infested with rats or other vermin. There was no fireplace, but a small cast-iron stove that he was able, after a bit of scrounging for materials, to get a fire started in, which would help considerably to warm the place. He swept away a few cobwebs, trying to make the place a little less gloomy, but there was little he could do to make it seem anything other than what it was - empty and grimy. It wasn't how he'd imagined it would be, but he was coming to realize that it wasn't the setting that mattered, it was her. As long as Ysana was happy, then he would be too.

He waited for what felt like ages, but might actually have been an hour or so, before he heard the creak of the heavy door on its hinges and the light tread of footsteps climbing the stairs. Ysana was wrapped in a heavy blanket, and her hair was tied back in a loose braid, not the glamourous upswept curls she had sported earlier. 

"You must be freezing," he said, for underneath the blanket she seemed to be only in her nightgown.

"I ran here," she grinned, still breathless. 

Now that they were finally alone, there was a moment's awkward pause as they hesitated, unable to believe it was really happening at last. Then Ysana darted the last few steps and threw her arms around Halden, squeezing him as tight as she could, the blanket falling forgotten to the floor. He wrapped her in his arms, stroking her back, her hair. "You're not going to leave, are you?" she murmured into his shoulder.

"Never," he told her fervently, and she stood up on her tiptoes to kiss him. Her lips were cold, but soon began to warm up as they embraced. After a few minutes she began to walk him delicately in the direction of one of the beds. He sat down on it in a rush, and it shook alarmingly but didn't give way. Ysana was half on top of him, kissing him, pulling at his coat, fumbling with the knot in his cravat, the studs in his shirt - her hands seemed to be everywhere at once, and entirely devoted to the task of getting him out of his clothes. He helped her as best as he could, shrugging off the blue satin topcoat and tossing it carelessly aside, but he got distracted by the realization that she had nothing on underneath her nightgown. He struggled with the tiny pearl buttons down the front of the white, lace-trimmed gown, getting three of them undone before Ysana laughed and tugged the entire thing off over her head. 

He had never seen her naked before - not that he could see her very well now, in only the faint glow from the stove, but it was still wonderful, the softness of her body under his hands, learning each curve by touch. Her breasts weren't large, and with the chill air they were firm and tight, her nipples hard as he gently stroked them. They moved with her breathing, quick and light and eager. She moaned softly against his cheek, and he thought he would be happy if he could just hear her make that sound forever. 

Her squirming on his lap had made him achingly hard, and she clearly knew what she was doing as she moved above him more deliberately. "Take it out," she pleaded, "I want to see." She moved aside so that he could unfasten his trousers with hands he hoped she wouldn't notice were trembling slightly. He stood to lower them, turning slowly back to where she sat perched on the bed. He could see her eyes widen, the whites glinting in the dim light. "Oh, Halden," she sighed, and took his cock in her hand. It was trembling too, and then he didn't feel so bad. In fact, he soon stopped worrying about much of anything because of the immensely distracting way she was stroking him. Her touch was light but firm, only a little too hesitant; he wrapped his hand around hers, making her grip him tighter, helping her find the right pace, the right rhythm. "Do you like that?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Yes," he wanted to say, but it came out more like "Ynnghaaahhh," as she bent forward to flick her tongue over the head of his cock. 

" -- my husband will never know," an unexpected woman's voice purred. "And you're such a handsome stable boy that I can hardly resist your offer of a nice, hard fuck, being so unsatisfied in my cold and loveless marriage..." 

"Hold on," a male voice interrupted. "Company."

Ysana squealed and grabbed for her nightgown, clutching it across her chest. Halden whipped around, then remember his pants were around his ankles and hastily bent to pull them up before facing the new arrivals. It took him a moment to recognize them - Ysana's aunt and uncle, Ivona and Rayce Elzior. "Shit," he gasped, and stood in front of Ysana in the forlorn hope that maybe they wouldn't recognize her.

"You owe me an imp, Ivona," Rayce drawled. "I _told_ you they were fucking."

Ivona chuckled. "Ysana vak Andras! By all rights, I should tell your father what you're doing."

"I wasn't doing anything yet," Ysana protested, pulling her nightgown on hastily. "And what are you doing here anyway?"

"Dear, when you've been married as long as we have, you might be looking to spice things up a little too," Ivona told her kindly. She didn't sound upset, Halden thought - things could have been worse. "I won't tell your father, but I am going to teleport you back to your bedroom."

"It's not fair!" Ysana protested. "We're fifteen, and we love each other, so why won't you let us..."

Ivona held up one frail hand. "Now, before you get your garters in a knot, I'll make a deal with you both. I'll invite Ysana to stay the night at my house, oh, let's say in five days' time. Kalman and Glory will agree to that, I'm sure. And I'll put her in the green bedroom, which is at the farthest end of the house, where I certainly wouldn't hear if she had company, and where she can pass the night entirely undisturbed. Understood?"

Halden nodded, but Ysana was still cross. "We were here first," she muttered sullenly.

"Seniority, my dear," Rayce said with a grin.

"Come on, now, Ysana," Ivona cajoled her. "I'll take you straight to your room so there's no chance of you getting caught sneaking back in. And then we're going to have a little talk. And then," she said, turning to her husband, "I'll be back for you."

"I think I'll walk the young fellow to the gates, just to make sure he gets out without any more awkward scenes," Rayce told her. "But I'll be back just as soon as I can."

"Don't take too long," she cautioned him, "or I might start without you."

"My love, if you find an actual stable boy, you are welcome to him, as long as you get him warmed up for me," Rayce said with a suggestive leer. 

With a laugh, Ivona took her wayward niece by the hand. "Say goodnight to the nice young man," she instructed her.

"Good night, Halden," Ysana said glumly.

"Good night," Halden told her. "I had a good time, even if it was a bit ... short."

Ivona gave a little wave and the two of them disappeared. Halden was left standing with Rayce. "Better get the rest of your clothes on," he suggested, so Halden retrieved his coat and finished re-fastening his shirt as quickly as he could. The two of them headed down the stairs and back outside into the cold night. Halden's cock had subsided during all the commotion, more or less, leaving him with only a dull ache in his gut and the feeling that his balls weighed about ten pounds each, which made walking a little uncomfortable. He tried not to let it show, but Rayce was far too perceptive. "Hurts, eh?"

Halden nodded, grimly continuing to put one foot in front of the other. It had begun to snow, but not enough that they would leave footprints, fortunately. 

"Yeah, you should probably take care of that when you get home," Rayce suggested helpfully. 

"Thanks for the advice," Halden muttered.

"These things happen," Rayce told him. "Before we were engaged Ivona and I were caught in the midst of some fun once by Kalman and Glory, and nearly by her mother as well."

"What happened?" Halden asked, morbidly curious.

"I married her," Rayce replied cheerfully. "I must say, though, at least you waited until the girl turned fifteen. You're a step ahead of her father in that respect."

Halden hadn't heard this particular story before. "What's that mean?"

"Goodness," Rayce said, casting his mind back some twenty years. "Kalman was apparently carrying on with a girl, underage, and when her parents found out they sent her out of the city at once."

"What happened?" Halden asked curiously. They were at the gates now, but he wanted to hear the end of the story.

"Oh, he married her," Rayce said with a grin. "A few years later, once her parents had relented enough to let her return to Diablotin, they eloped. Tremendous scandal, of course."

"...huh," said Halden. 

"You might want to bear that in mind, in the event you're ever in a position to need to use that information in your own defense," Rayce told him with a smile. "And now, I should be getting back, and you should be going home. I trust I won't see you in five days."

"Hopefully not," Halden agreed, and trudged home through the snow. 

***

The next five days passed at a snail's pace, as far as Halden was concerned. He debated writing to Ysana to make sure everything was still on as planned, but decided against it - he was sure she would let him know if anything changed, and besides her parents might read anything he wrote to her. Finally the appointed evening arrived. As casually as he could, he informed his father and stepmother that he was going out.

"When do you think you'll be back?" Tigranne asked, looking up from sharpening her knives.

"Don't worry about it," Boden said. "He'll be back whenever he's back, right Halden?"

"Right," he said, and managed a smile for his father. 

"Why does he get to stay out as late as he wants?" Coren demanded.

"Because he's fifteen," Boden replied. "When you're fifteen you can go out all night too, if you want."

The walk to the Elzior's house was not an especially long one, but he took a roundabout route, not so much to obscure his path as because he was feeling nervous and missed a left turn. By the time he arrived, it was already dark out - the sun set early in winter. He crept cautiously up to the house and was relieved to see one of the windows on the ground floor was open a crack. He went and peeked inside, saw the green curtains, and felt confident enough that he was at the right place to tap lightly on the glass.

The curtains were pushed aside, and Ysana opened the window wide to let him in. "Hurry up, it's freezing," she said as he clambered inside. She moved quickly to shut the window behind him and draw the curtains. Halden looked around the chamber. It was luxurious, with a healthy fire burning beneath the mantel, thick carpets, emerald wallpaper, and, most importantly for his present interests, a large bed hung with heavy curtains, the blankets already drawn back.

Ysana was in her shift, and her black hair was loose, curling in spirals down her back. Halden didn't hesitate to pull her into his arms and kiss her. "I'll admit," she said when they came up for air, "this is nicer than the carriage house."

"Much nicer," Halden agreed. In fact, it was exactly what he had wanted to give her in the first place. "Should we go to bed?" he asked, taking off his coat.

"Yes, my toes are frozen," she said, and climbed up into the bed, pulling the blankets over her. Halden circled around the other side of the four-poster and tugged off his boots before crawling in beside her. He pulled the cords for the curtains, closing them in. They nestled together, kissing and stroking one another, warming up more than just the sheets, until Ysana abruptly sat up and pulled off her shift. Halden managed to wriggle out of his pants and kicked them aside, then began unbuttoning his shirt. Ysana moved to help, which put her breasts in close proximity to his mouth. He stretched up to suck one pert nipple, making her gasp. "Do that again," she told him, and he willingly complied with her demands.

Meanwhile, Ysana's hands were busy. Once they finished with his shirt buttons, they continued further down his body, seeking out his cock. He couldn't help moaning when she started to stroke it, moving with a greater confidence than the last time. She gripped his shaft tightly, but loose enough to slide over him, coming up to tease his head before sliding back down again, and gods, it felt better than it ever did when he did it himself. "Ohh, yes," he whimpered, thrusting up into her hand, his hips seeming to move of their own volition, and suddenly he was coming, gasping through the frantic, shuddering pleasure.

Ysana looked both impressed and bemused, and took her hand out from beneath the blankets to inspect it. Her pink, pointed little tongue darted out to lick some of the cream off her fingers, and through his post-orgasmic haze Halden thought he had never seen anything so deliciously filthy. She made a little face and wiped the rest of it on her cast-off shift, but he didn't care, that one glimpse had been enough. "I love you," he managed to gasp out. 

"I love you too," she said. "Uh... but I hope that wasn't it."

He shook his head. "We're just getting started." He rolled over to press her back down onto the mattress, kissing her, their tongues tangling together hungrily. Ysana arched up against him and made little whining, whimpering sounds until he grew bold enough to push his hand down between her thighs, which she spread eagerly for him. He was amazed at how warm and slippery she felt, how she cried out at his slightest touch. She pushed the blankets down, then grabbed his wrist and moved him, guiding him to where she wanted him to stroke.

"Right there," she moaned, her breath soft against his cheek. "Keep doing that."

"Is that how you do it to yourself?" he asked, curious, as he kept up the quick rubbing she seemed to crave.

"Ohh, sometimes," she gasped, "but sometimes I push my fingers inside myself too."

"Like this?" Halden asked, and tried sliding one finger into that soft, yielding hole. It went in easily, and Ysana gave a little shriek and pushed herself down onto him further. 

"I want you inside me," she whispered, "I want your cock filling me, please..."

Halden was half-hard again already, and her urgent pleas had him stiff again in no time. He got on top of her, a bit clumsily, propping himself up with his elbows so he wouldn't squash her. They weren't quite lined up, he found, so he crept up a bit, hoping that was all right. Ysana moved her legs, drawing her knees up and his cock slid against that slick wetness, and she kept begging him to do it, to hurry up and fuck her, but Halden, remembering his uncle's advice, took it slow despite her impatience. Guiding himself with one hand he started pressing into her little by little. Ysana's mouth flew open in a startled O, but she didn't scream in pain or anything, so he kept going, sliding deeper into her. It felt unbelievable, so hot and smooth and tight around him, and he wasn't sure he could have stopped now anyway, but fortunately she wasn't asking him to. 

"Is that all right?" he asked her, breathless, when he was finally all the way in.

Ysana nodded, clinging to him. "It's perfect," she sighed. "Don't stop!"

Halden's body was almost desperate to thrust again, and her command was all he needed to let himself go. Ysana screamed, but muffled it against his shoulder, as he pushed into her again, harder than before, and again, and again. She tossed her head back and twisted underneath him, and Halden was hard-pressed to keep from coming right then, but he held back a little longer by some miracle, because Ysana dug her nails into his arms, making him suck in his breath, hard, and the little bit of pain was enough to keep him from tumbling over the edge.

Still she kept on writhing, squirming, and finally he figured out what she was trying to do - she wanted her hand between them. He thought he could figure out a way that might be easier, and said "Here, just hold on," before rolling them both over. His cock slid out of her briefly, the sensation of being exposed was momentarily shocking before she adjusted herself on his hips and pushed herself down onto him, hard, her hand already quick at work just where she needed it. 

"Ahh, gods, that's it!" she cried, and he watched with fascination as she rubbed her clit, thighs trembling and eyes squeezed shut. After a few moments he felt a tight, pulsing surge rush through her, surprising him with its intensity - he knew it happened to girls too, but he didn't know it was that strong, that greedy. Ysana fell forward onto his chest, and he held her as she lay there shaking, not sure how long he would have to wait to keep going, or whether she would want to stop now.

"Is that... can I..." he asked, uncertain how to proceed.

Ysana lifted her face, sweat sticking them together. "Of course you can," she told him, stroking his cheek with one soft hand.

Halden put his hands to her hips, that felt most natural, and fucked up against her, inside her, a few more sharp thrusts until he felt that inescapable need building again, his balls tight and heavy, his breath catching in his throat. "Going to..." he choked, and jerked suddenly away from her, pulling out so that he spilled his load into nothing. 

Ysana curled up beside him, pulling the blankets up to cover them as she lay down. "That," she said eventually, once she had her breath back, "was just what I wanted. Finally."

"Me too," Halden murmured, stroking her hair.

"I think I might sleep for a little while now," she said, her words slow and languorous. "But when I wake up, I want to do that again."

Halden nodded. "I hear the second time is better."

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on Tumblr at [naryrising](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/naryrising) if you want to ask questions, make requests, or chat!


End file.
